The printed document entitled “Kleines abc der Etikettentechnik für Bedienungsleute” [“A little ABC of labeling for operators”], issued by Messrs KRONES AG, Hermnann Kronseder, Maschinenfabrik, 93068 Neutraubling, DE, and numbered 2500d.03/89, and the assignee of the present application, explains, from page 7 on, that, when there is a change in the size or format of label, the transfer plates, the label holders and the gripper cylinder have to be exchanged or added to. The work which has to be done for this purpose is time-consuming and means relatively long downtimes for the labeling unit. Also, a considerable amount of money has to be spent on stock-holdings and logistics, because there are a large number of size or formats of label and correspondingly large numbers of individual parts have to be kept available in such a way that they can be found at any time.
In labeling units which are known from DE 7619659 U and DE 198 45 964 A, a pair of identical transfer plates are arranged on the transfer-plate shaft in a mirror-image arrangement relative to the axis of the transfer-plate shaft, in order to achieve a high cycle speed for a relative slow movement on the part of the transfer plates. For a change of size or format, the transfer-plate shaft carrying the transfer plates has to be changed.
In the labeling machine known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,589,949 A, two identical transfer plates are likewise arranged on the transfer-plate shaft. If there is a change of size or format, the transfer-plate shaft plus the transfer plates has to be changed.
In the labeling unit known from DE 197 41 476 A, a plurality of transfer-plate shafts each having one transfer plate are arranged on a transfer-plate carousel. For a change of size or format, the transfer plates are replaced by transfer plates matched to the new size or format of label.
Known from DE 21 16 912 is an automatic loading system for the label holder of a labeling unit. A plurality of filled re-supply magazines are held ready in a compartmented wheel able to be driven in rotation and are lined up in succession with the label holder before a pusher feeds the re-supply labels forward. The automatic loading system makes it possible for the labeling unit to operate uninterruptedly.
Another automatic label loading system is known from EP 1 314 648 B. Magazines filled with re-supply labels of the same size or format are lined up, one at a time, on a paternoster lift (also known as a “cyclic elevator”), with the label holder, which is able to be used for only one size or format of label and which is held in a fixed position in the labeling unit.